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CONNECT:
UOW
ISSUE 2 VOLUME 3
NOVEMBER 2014
CHRIS GIBSON:
BEST
RESEARCH
NEEDS AN
ELEMENT
OF RISK
OPINION : PAGE 2
INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE
THE POWER OF
EDUCATION P.4
IN THE NAME OF
THE LAW P.6
OPENING THE
GATES P.8
MEETING THE
MAESTRO P.16
CONNECT: OPINION
BEST RESEARCH
NEEDS AN
ELEMENT OF RISK
BY PROFESSOR CHRIS GIBSON*
n the media, on the streets, and behind
the closed doors of our hallowed
tertiary institutions, debate has raged
over the government’s proposed
changes to the higher education sector. Fee
deregulation and student debt have taken centre
stage and the front page, but it is the backbone
of our universities - research - that demands a
proper conversation.
I
Research in Australia is a major success story.
On all measures, from our comparatively tiny
population base, Australian researchers have
exceeded expectations. In effect, research has
become a growth industry, part of the broader
picture of universities becoming economic
enablers within cities and regions.
Australian universities have thus far achieved
all this without the sector arguably receiving its
deserved share of central government funding. A
2012 report demonstrated Australia spends 2.25
per cent of its GDP on research and development,
a figure that falls short of much smaller OECD
nations, including Sweden (3.6 per cent) and
Finland (4 per cent).
Due to the sustained efforts of the agencies
and programs that administer central funding
schemes - the Australian Research Council,
National Health and Medical Research Council
and Co-operative Research Centres - and those of
thousands of Australian researchers, the nation
has developed a key comparative advantage
internationally despite comparatively scarce
funding.
But has Australian research become too safe, too
over-managed?
Revered researchers have often been risk-takers:
single-minded geeks inventing new technologies;
intrepid scientists deep in jungles or deep beneath
the sea finding new species or archaeological
treasures; inspired types rethinking a perennial
mathematical or philosophical problem; historians
going back into the archive to reopen often
uncomfortable conversations about the past.
Yet the reality is becoming less heroic - a
landscape as much about inter-institutional
competition for scarce resources, rankings on
league tables, team management and leadership
skills, and gaining approvals from funding bodies
and committees.
Much of this is about compliance and quality
control. But increasingly, if one looks globally to
where the truly exciting research is being done,
it is where universities are still prepared to take
risks: funding research ventures not because
they deliver predictable outputs against KPIs (key
2 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
performance indicators), but because they tackle
world problems head on.
In other words, exciting research occurs in
universities that encourage the best minds to
exercise curiosity and courage in an atmosphere
of academic freedom.
Australian research is in danger of retreating,
rather than exploring, especially in a constrained
fiscal environment. Instead of courageous ideas,
we have conservative research proposals:
“salami-slicing” of research results into evermore-narrow journal articles; restrictively
“in-house” research teams competing from
different institutions rather than collaborating
for the greater good; and researchers focusing
on consistency of track record rather than taking
sideways leaps into new fields or truly novel
collaborations.
But has Australian
research become too
safe, too over-managed?
Such behaviour counteracts the very premise
of universities as the centre of new thinking. At
the same time, we are failing to address urgent
global problems of environment economy and
humanity - problems that cannot be addressed by
disciplines in isolation.
What can be done about it? We need to develop
funding streams that support riskier, often
grassroots projects addressing complex, realworld problems and harness the expertise
of researchers across disciplines, in new
combinations.
A small vanguard of Australian, British and
American universities is finding new ways to
fund researchers, initially from their own central
budgets, around ambitious, identified “challenges”
of international scope.
The University of Wollongong’s Global
Challenges Program, along with the University of
Melbourne’s Grand Challenges and the University
of Queensland’s Global Change Institute, are
prominent early examples. The Universities of
Western Sydney and Adelaide, and no doubt
many others, are about to follow. Internationally,
PROFESSOR CHRIS GIBSON
Princeton University in the US, and Warwick
University and University College London in
Britain, have taken the lead.
Such programs must not be seen as replacements
for central government funding of research, but
rather as complements to traditional schemes.
As just one example, UOW’s Global Challenges
Program has invested in projects that seek to
open up a radical conversation about the future
of Australian manufacturing. From examining
whether new manufacturing techniques can
transform and reinvigorate a regional economy
to using 3D printing technologies to create
musical instruments that are not feasible within
standard manufacturing, these projects cut across
disciplines, involving creative artists, engineers,
designers, geographers, information system
analysts, social marketers and labour market
economists.
Beyond UOW, the Global Challenges Program
is growing relationships with researchers at
CSIRO, Swinburne University, and RMIT, and
our researchers are being funded to visit cities
around the world, to learn from others’ successes
and mistakes. We are also developing a nextgeneration hydrogel condom that beyond the
titillation factor, has huge humanitarian potential.
It is research that is bold and unpredictable.
But it is research that is also inspiring for those
involved - reconnecting them with a motivation to
improve the world. For many, it reminds them of
the reason they became an academic in the first
place.
A multidisciplinary focus combined with trust,
academic freedom and ongoing support gives
researchers greater flexibility to explore new
ideas and work on projects that do not already
have their outcomes determined and that simply
might not otherwise be funded. By definition they
are riskier ventures, and they do not map neatly
onto a highly metric-driven management culture.
But that is precisely the point.
*Professor Chris Gibson is Director of the Global
Challenges research program at the University of
Wollongong. This Opinion column was originally
published in the Australian Financial Review on
21 July 2014.
•UOW launches Global Challenges at
Parliament House in Canberra. See page 7.
CONNECT: NEWS
Chief Investigator of the ARC Research
Hub for Australian Steel Manufacturing,
Associate Professor Michael Higgins
(front) with Director Oscar Gregory.
HUB PUTS STEEL BACK IN
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING
T
he University of Wollongong is home to
a new research hub bringing together
the best and brightest scientists and
engineers from Australia’s steel manufacturers
and research institutions to drive innovation and
improve global competitiveness for the industry.
“This collaboration is essential to ensuring
Australia’s competitiveness in global markets and
in new industries focused on sophisticated and
high value-added manufacturing. Our focus must
be on our areas of competitive advantage where
Australia has an edge over our competitors.”
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Research
Hub for Australian Steel Manufacturing, based at
UOW will embark on research and development
programs that will address manufacturing
techniques and processes, innovation in new
products and best-practice pathways for bringing
new ideas to market.
The steel industry employs around 90,000
people and adds more than $8.7 billion value to
the national economy. The hub will be supported
by cash and in-kind industry and university
investment of almost $17 million and ARC funding
of $5 million over five years.
Supporting partners in the research hub include
BlueScope, which operates Australia’s largest
steel plant at Port Kembla, Arrium, Bisalloy, Cox
Architects, Australian Steel Institute, Lysaght,
University of Queensland, University of NSW,
University of Newcastle, Swinburne University of
Technology and RMIT.
Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane launched the
hub at a function at Parliament House, Canberra in
September.
Mr Macfarlane said: “The Australian Government
is preparing a National Industry Investment and
Competitiveness Agenda to set the superstructure
for industry growth, in particular to encourage
greater collaboration between business and
researchers.
Product innovations include a project to develop
a self-cleaning, anti-microbial organic coating
for painted sheet steel to prevent the build-up of
mould, algae and other bacteria on steel roofs,
particularly in humid environments.
UOW researchers, in a long-standing partnership
with BlueScope, are drawing on expertise in
microbiology, surface engineering and molecular
dynamics to make paints and coatings for steel
sheeting that prevent bacterial growth.
Also under development is a new roofing system
that incorporates thin-film solar panels and
aesthetically pleasing designs that can produce
energy, heating and cooling for new Australian
buildings.
Steel Research Hub Director Oscar Gregory
LIFT IN TIMES
WORLD RANKINGS
T
he University of Wollongong has jumped 16 spots in The Times Higher
Education (THE) World University Rankings, released in October.
UOW has been ranked at 282 in the 276-300 band – compared to its
298 spot in The Times’ rankings last year.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said that one of the significant
achievements made over the past 12 months has been the 10 per cent lift in
UOW’s citations reflecting the quality of UOW’s research.
“This basically refers to how many other people globally are using our
researchers’ work for their various purposes,” he said.
said the steel industry has had to face extremely
challenging conditions since the global financial
crisis.
“Now that the industry is seeing some
improvement, it is timely that the Steel Research
Hub brings together the combined skills and
expertise of university and industry researchers to
transform the Australian industry into a position of
sustainability and global competiveness,” he said.
UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Professor Judy Raper said UOW’s strong historic
links with the steel industry at nearby Port Kembla
put it in a prime position to drive the national
industry.
UOW began in 1951 as a division of the then NSW
University of Technology established to train
metallurgists, mechanical and electrical engineers
and industrial chemists for the Port Kembla
Steelworks.
“The hub’s aim is to strengthen the industry by
developing innovative products and processes
that will improve its global competitiveness,”
Professor Raper said. “So in a sense the Research
Hub is extending and refining something we at
UOW have been doing for the past 60 years. We
all know that working together generally produces
far better outcomes than working in isolation, and
I commend the Australian Research Council for
bringing this group together.” GR
A ranking of 282 means that UOW has further consolidated its
place in the top two per cent of universities in the world.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings use
13 separate performance indicators to examine a university’s
strengths against all of its core missions – teaching, research,
knowledge transfer and international outlook. Information is
collected, analysed and verified by global data provider Thomson
Reuters.
This year’s tables employ an identical methodology to that used
since 2011-12 to allow clear year-on-year comparisons.
The Times Rankings follow on from the recent 2014 QS World
University Rankings, which also confirmed UOW’s spot in the top
two per cent of universities world-wide. BG
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 3
CONNECT: PEOPLE
SENIOR DEPUTY
VICE-CHANCELLOR
RETIRES
FOUR-DECADE VETERAN KNOWS
THE POWER OF EDUCATION
U
niversity of Wollongong Senior Deputy
Vice-Chancellor Professor John
Patterson knows the transformative
power of education.
UOW) come from working-class backgrounds
just like me, so I have gained a lot of satisfaction
from seeing their success. Does it get any better?
I don’t think so.”
In a 40-year career at UOW he has seen many
thousands of students – many of them the first
generation of their families to attend university,
and many of them the children of migrants who
came to Australia to give their children a better
chance in life – graduate and go on to forge
successful careers.
Professor Patterson grew up in Balmain (when it
was a working-class suburb far removed from the
trendy address it is now), attending Fort Street
Boys High School before training as a PE teacher
at Sydney Teachers College. After working at
National Fitness Camps and schools in Australia
he had a working holiday in Canada where his jobs
included teaching and stints as a professional
trapper and a tourist guide. He then returned to
Australia, moving to Wollongong in 1974 to work
as a PE lecturer at the Wollongong Institute
of Education the year it changed from being
Wollongong Teachers College.
Professor Patterson, who is retiring in December,
said seeing people whose lives had been
transformed by education had been the defining
image of his time at the University.
“It has been a great privilege to have been involved
in this university and in this community for four
decades, and to be able to participate in such a
fine institution that has had, and continues to have,
such an influence on people’s lives,” he said.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to have been the
beneficiary of education myself, and to be able
to work in education. A lot of students here (at
He became part of UOW when the University and
Institute of Education merged in 1982, and has
not looked back. After completing a PhD at the
University of Colorado in 1986, he began a steady
climb up UOW’s academic and executive ladder.
He was appointed Deputy Dean of Education in
UOW Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Professor John Patterson, who is retiring
after 40 years at the institution.
1986 and Dean in 1993. In 2000 he became Dean
of Health and Behavioural Sciences and in 2001
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations). Since 2010 he
has been Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Patterson is proud of his longevity at
UOW, an institution he has helped mould as it has
developed over the years.
“In this age of short working life spans and limited
longevity, I consider working at the same institution
for 40 years a badge of honour,” he said. “I hope I
have made a contribution, and (in return) it has given
me a great career path, intellectual challenges and
the opportunity for emotional growth.”
Professor Patterson will give a Farewell Lecture for
colleagues and friends on 12 December. “My first job
in Wollongong on a Monday morning early in 1974
was to give a lecture, so I will be going full circle and
finishing with a lecture,” he said. NH
CHANCELLOR HAILED FOR INFLUENTIAL LEADERSHIP
U
niversity of Wollongong Chancellor
Jillian Broadbent AO has been honoured
as one of the Australian leaders who are
making a difference to the nation.
The Australian Financial Review’s influential
BOSS magazine included Ms Broadbent as one of
its True Leaders 2014 in the August edition – “18
exceptional people who are creating benefits for
the wider community”. She was pictured on the
magazine’s cover, with a full page feature inside.
The BOSS magazine cover, with UOW
Chancellor Jillian Broadbent pictured right.
4 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
attempts by the Coalition Government to
abolish it. BOSS magazine said Ms Broadbent
had worked hard to demonstrate to the
government the benefits that were flowing
from the corporation’s investments. She had
demonstrated that the CEFC had exceeded
its expectations, delivering substantial carbon
abatement while also delivering a return for
the taxpayer.
The magazine praised Ms Broadbent for her role
as chair of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation
(CEFC) since its inception in 2012, guiding it
through a political minefield to invest $900
million in clean energy projects through 40 direct
projects and 25 joint ventures.
Ms Broadbent, an economist who had an
outstanding career in banking, is one of
Australia’s most respected businesswomen.
She has served on some of Australia’s most
prestigious boards, including the Reserve Bank
of Australia, Woolworths, Woodside Petroleum,
SBS, Coca-Cola Amatil and Qantas.
The Corporation was established by the previous
Labor Government and has survived several
Ms Broadbent has been UOW’s Chancellor
since 2009.
CONNECT: NEWS
LONG-TERM INVESTMENT
MINISTER
PREDICTS
DIVIDENDS IN
EMPLOYMENT,
ENVIRONMENT
A
ustralian Minister for Employment
Senator Eric Abetz described the
University of Wollongong’s new
Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) as
a quality long-term investment for the taxpayers of
Australia when he officially opened the building.
SBRC, dedicated to developing new technologies
and techniques to make buildings more
environmentally sustainable, is the seventh
building to open on UOW’s Innovation Campus.
The Australian Government funded the building’s
construction with $25.1 million through the
Education Investment Fund.
Officially opening the building in August, Senator
Abetz said SBRC had in effect been funded by the
taxpayers of Australia, and said he was confident
that they would get a good long-term return from it.
“This is a project that I have no doubt will be seen
as a quality long-term investment for jobs and for
the environment,” the Minister said. “It will help
create employment and enhance our international
reputation.
“As Minister for Employment, I am particularly
excited about its prospects to generate new jobs,”
he said.
In a well-received display of bipartisanship, the
Minister invited local federal Labor Member of
Parliament and Shadow Minister for Vocational
Education Sharon Bird, who was Minister for
Higher Education and Skills in the previous
Labor Government, to join the official party for
the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the
opening.
Senator Abetz said he gave the previous
government “a big tick” for approving the funding,
and Ms Bird’s inclusion in the ceremony would
acknowledge its involvement.
Senator Abetz said the building was another
example of UOW’s “practical research, relevant
research” that was helping to transform the region.
“This is a textbook example of a region remaking
itself, responding to challenges and changing
times. And UOW has been at the centre of that
transformation,” he said.
SBRC has many environmentally-friendly
features which showcase the type of research
being conducted there. It was constructed with
the target of becoming Australia’s first certified
Living Building, and the Illawarra’s first 6-star
Green Star building. Its environmentally-friendly
features include ultra-low energy consumption;
a solar roof that produces more power than the
building uses; rainwater harvesting to ensure the
building has a net-zero water use; sophisticated
natural ventilation and extensive monitoring and
building control systems to ensure it operates as
efficiently as possible.
SBRC Director Professor Paul Cooper said
the centre was an example of how Federal
Government funding had delivered more than
bricks and mortar and had enabled a hub where
academia, industry and the community could
work together to bring innovative ideas to life.
“One of the great challenges today is the
rising cost of energy. The applied research we
are undertaking will improve the design and
efficiency of buildings, leading to improved
quality of life and reduced cost of living.
“Importantly for the region, access to researchbased knowledge will enable up-skilling for the
regional workforce that will improve the skill sets
and economic opportunities for local companies
and their employees.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE
said SBRC epitomised what the Innovation
Campus was all about – cutting edge research
and strong industry partnerships. He said SBRC’s
partnerships with government and industry,
including TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute and
BlueScope, would be critical to its on-going
success. NH
Above: Minister for Employment Senator Eric
Abetz (second from right) officially opens the
Sustainable Buildings Research Centre in
August. He is pictured with (from left) Shadow
Minister for Vocational Education Sharon
Bird, SBRC Director Professor Paul Cooper,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for
Social Security Senator Concetta FierravantiWells, UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul
Wellings and UOW Chancellor Jillian Broadbent.
Left: The official party inspects SBRC’s rooftop
solar power-generating equipment.
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 5
CONNECT: PROFILE
Law lecturer and researcher Dr Julia Quilter being
interviewed for ABC’s 7.30 Report.
controversies, including the nation-wide debate
over “one-punch” laws as a response to alcoholrelated public violence.
CONTROVERSIAL NEW LAWS
A RICH RESOURCE FOR
RESEARCH, TEACHING
DR JULIA QUILTER
SCHOOL OF LAW
hen University of Wollongong Senior
Lecturer and criminal law and justice
expert Dr Julia Quilter was teaching her
Criminal Law class in first session this year, she
was excited to be teaching her students about the
new Bail Act 2013 that had just come into effect
in NSW.
W
“The new Act was such a principled piece of
legislation,” Dr Quilter said. “It had been developed
after wide consultation and passed by both Houses
of the NSW Parliament. The Government had even
invested in 12 months of training for law officers
across the state before the new Act came into
force in May this year.
“And it was good to be able to teach the students
about new legislation that had replaced an old
Act that had simply become too complicated. It
had originally been developed on the notion that
bail should be granted unless the accused posed a
significant risk to the community, but it had been
amended more than 80 times since it was enacted
in 1978 and it had become unworkable.
“Under the old Act NSW had 25 per cent of its
jail population made up of people on remand, and
they were each costing the state up to $330 a
day. This craziness had driven the need for reform,
and both sides of politics had supported the new
legislation.”
However, her classes in the second session have
been very different. Now she is explaining to
students how the Government abandoned the new
legislation just months after it commenced, when
three high-profile alleged criminals were granted
bail, sparking a media frenzy.
The three cases involved Steven Fesus, accused
of murdering his wife 17 years ago; Hassan “Sam”
Ibrahim, charged with selling illegal firearms
across western Sydney (bail was revoked on
appeal); and Mahmoud Hawi, charged with the
murder of Peter Zervas during a brawl at Sydney
6 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
Airport in 2009 (Hawi has since pleaded guilty to
his manslaughter).
“Courts make hundreds of bail decisions each
week that we never hear about, but the media
chose to focus on these three cases. It was a
classic example of the radio shock jocks and
tabloid media cooking up a storm, and politicians
not standing up for their principles,” she said.
“So Parliament rushed through the Bail
Amendment Act 2014 that removes the
presumption of innocence to a preamble and
requires the accused to show cause why bail
should be granted for certain offences. We have
returned to the old nightmare of presumptions
against bail, with all their complexities.”
… dramatic changes in
legislation … help to bring
the topic of criminal law
to life for academics and
students alike
While Dr Quilter was personally disappointed that
the new Bail Act had such a short life, she admits
that dramatic changes in legislation such as the
Bail Act amendments and the introduction of
“one-punch” mandatory sentencing laws earlier
in 2014 help to bring the topic of criminal law to
life for academics and students alike. They also
contribute to making criminal law and justice an
exciting (even if sometimes troubling) field for
contemporary research.
A member of the UOW School of Law’s Legal
Intersections Research Centre, Dr Quilter is one
of Australia’s leading criminal law researchers
and has established a strong reputation as
a commentator on current criminal justice
In 2014 alone, three Australian states introduced
tough new laws to punish so-called “one-punch”
killings as legislators have reacted to apparently
random attacks outside licensed premises that
have left a number of young people dead and
created a massive public outcry. Dr Quilter
believes the laws are a “knee-jerk” reaction that
will prove to be ineffective, with unintended
consequences. Her research has found that
these laws address a relatively small number of
incidents while ignoring much bigger problems
such as domestic violence homicides.
But the laws do provide a rich source of research
and teaching material.
“I teach a final year elective called Contemporary
Issues in Criminal Justice, and it has been very
interesting examining the “one-punch” laws that
have been introduced around Australia, and the
way the legislation mandates that alcohol is
responsible,” she said. “The students are really
engaged because they don’t just understand
the concepts, they are actually living it. We have
some very interesting discussions about the
regulator’s response to the idea that there are
links between alcohol and violence.”
Before Dr Quilter joined UOW in 2010, she
worked as a solicitor and barrister, specialising
in constitutional, criminal and coronial law at the
NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office, as well as doing a
stint in the Office of the NSW Solicitor General
and Crown Advocate. She appeared in a number
of significant criminal law matters in the NSW
Court of Criminal Appeal and the High Court of
Australia.
Unusually for a criminal law practitioner, she had
previously completed a PhD on the history of
sexual assault law and the challenge of shifting
embedded attitudes in the practice of rape
trials, even in the face of undeniably progressive
legislative reform.
Dr Quilter comments regularly on current affairs
and news programs, including ABC TV’s 7.30
Report and ABC Radio National’s The Law Report,
is regularly invited to speak at seminars for both
academic and practitioner audiences, and has
authored a number of well-received scholarly
articles for The Conversation and prominent legal
journals. She recently joined the author team for
one of the leading Australian academic texts on
criminal law and justice, published by Federation
Press and forthcoming in 2015.
Dr Quilter says that while it is clear that
legislators aren’t listening to dissenting views,
she feels that it is important that academic
researchers address contemporary legal issues
that have policy implications, and participate
actively in public debates.
“We may not be getting many victories, but the
work we are doing has use and meaning.”
Dr Quilter is hoping that her work on
contemporary criminal justice controversies will
encourage more PhD students to join the School
of Law’s research program. NH
CONNECT: NEWS
V-C JOINS PM’S DELEGATION
Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott (left) pictured with UOW Ambassador and cricketing great Adam
Gilchrist AM. UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings and Gilchrist travelled to India in September
with the Prime Minister’s high-level business delegation.
niversity of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor
Professor Paul Wellings CBE travelled
to India in September with Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott as part of the
AUSTRALIA: OPEN FOR BUSINESS delegation, to
further strengthen UOW’s connections with India.
research partnerships with Indian universities
and academic institutions, including the Indian
Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and
Mumbai, the University of Calcutta, University
of Burdwan and the Pandit Deendayal
Petroleum University in Gandhinagar
Professor Wellings and UOW Brand Ambassador
Adam Gilchrist AM went to India as part of the
Prime Minister’s high level delegation of business
leaders covering key industry sectors. They were
in India for talks with senior Indian government
and industry officials.
•RESEARCH: UOW’s research partnerships with
India include an agreement with India’s Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
to establish a CSIR research centre at UOW’s
Innovation Campus.
U
Business leaders included Rio Tinto CEO Sam
Walsh, Woodside Energy CEO Peter Coleman,
ANZ Bank CEO Andrew Géczy, Linfox founder
Lindsay Fox and Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt.
Professor Wellings and Mr Gilchrist were part of a
Higher Education group within the delegation.
Professor Wellings used the opportunity to
promote UOW as a destination for Indian
students, and the Innovation Campus research
and development precinct as an ideal location
for Indian companies to establish operations in
Australia.
As part of Professor Wellings’ presentations in
India, UOW produced a brochure highlighting
UOW’s existing partnerships and collaborations
with Indian institutions, government agencies and
corporations.
These include:
•STUDENTS: In 2014 UOW has 441 Indian
students studying at UOW in Australia and
1125 at UOW in Dubai
•MINING: UOW has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to help form a Centre for Mining
Excellence in the Indian state of Gujarat
•INDUSTRY: UOW has key industry links with
major players in India’s IT industry including
IBM Research and Infosys
CANBERRA
LAUNCH
FOR GLOBAL
CHALLENGES
he University of Wollongong
launched its Global Challenges
research program that brings
together world-class expertise in a bid to offer
solutions to complex world problems at Old
Parliament House in Canberra in June.
T
UOW Brand Ambassador and former Australian
cricketer Adam Gilchrist AM hosted the
launch of Global Challenges to an audience of
politicians and diplomats.
Through the Global Challenges Program,
researchers from a variety of disciplines will
collaborate to problem-solve issues having an
impact locally, nationally and internationally.
The key research themes are:
•
Living Well, Longer: looking at all aspects
of life so that longevity is not only
FOCUS ON
STRONG TIES
WITH INDIA
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE
The brochure includes a profile of India-born UOW
Computer Science Professor Aditya Ghose, who
has a number of close research collaborations with
Indian counterparts, and Mohammed Shuja Ahmed
Khan, the inaugural winner of UOW’s Bradman
Scholarship which helps Indian students who are
interested in cricket to study at UOW. Shuja, from
Hyderabad, is studying Civil Engineering.
The brochure, CONNECTED: INDIA AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG, can be viewed
online on the UOW website at http://www.uow.edu.
au/about/global/india/index.html NH
medically possible, but enjoyable, including
health, housing, medical care, transport,
sustainability and finances
•
Manufacturing Innovation: centred on
developing new manufacturing opportunities
from innovative technologies
•Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones: with
85 percent of Australians living on the coastal
fringe, and oceans covering 72 percent
of the earth’s surface, better coastal and
marine zone management is of fundamental
importance here and around the globe.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings
CBE said the multidisciplinary focus would
enable researchers to work together on
solutions to make a tangible difference in the
world.
“The Global Challenges Program is designed to
encourage and develop creative and communityengaged research that will help drive social,
economic, and cultural change in our region, and
will be translatable across the globe,” Professor
Wellings said.
Global Challenges Director Professor Chris
Gibson provided details of the planned research
projects at the launch. BG
•ACADEMIC: UOW has a suite of academic and
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 7
CONNECT: RESEARCH
GATES
FOUNDATION
FUNDING
HYDROGEL
KEY TO BETTER
CONDOMS
T
he Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
is funding a University of Wollongong
team to help develop a next generation
condom that “significantly preserves and
enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and
regular use”.
The project is designed to promote condom use in
countries where significant social, economic and
environmental problems stem from lack of birth
control and the spread of STDs, particularly AIDS.
The UOW team was one of only 52 grants funded
worldwide from more than 1700 applications
for the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative,
which covers five diverse project areas ranging
from agriculture to healthcare.
Initial grants of US$100,000 are awarded two
times a year. Successful projects have the
opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to
US$1 million.
The UOW team is developing a replacement for
latex condoms using new materials called tough
hydrogels.
Dr Sina Naficy and Dr Robert Gorkin with the hydrogel material that has won funding
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a next generation condom.
Hydrogels can be tailored to feel, look and act
more like natural tissue and can be engineered
to deliver functionality such as self-lubrication,
topical drug delivery and biodegradability. They
are also extremely safe and currently used in
numerous applications from contact lenses to
food products.
This work continues to push the boundaries
of years of hydrogel development for artificial
muscles and implantable bionics at UOW.
Research fellow and project leader Dr Robert
Gorkin said: “We are extremely excited about this
incredible opportunity. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation funding has enabled us to explore
new applications of our materials research that
could make a genuine impact on the health and
wellbeing of people worldwide.”
Dr Gorkin leads a team that includes polymer
scientist Dr Sina Naficy and molecular
microbiologist Dr Jason McArthur. Their
complementary expertise spans biomedical
engineering, materials science and drug delivery.
The team recognises that understanding local
cultures and societies and learning how to work
within them is going to be a key challenge in
designing condoms that are readily adopted.
“It’s really about us challenging our own
perceptions, particularly when developing new
technologies to be deployed in places like subSaharan Africa and Southeast Asia,” Dr Gorkin said.
“We are looking to have dialogue with people in
those areas to look into social and cultural aspects
for design that could be incorporated into eventual
prototypes and products. We are also looking at
manufacturing, regulation, distribution and other
considerations, which will be critical to success in
the regions.
“In a recent TED2014 talk Melinda Gates said
‘delivery is every bit as important as the science’.
We totally agree – the challenge must be tackled
holistically.”
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the
world’s most recognised philanthropic organisations.
The UOW project was funded under the Round 12
Grand Challenges Explorations grants, which foster
innovation in global health research. GR
Minister for Education Christopher Pyne
announced that seven UOW academics had been
named among the nation’s Future Fellows, with
UOW ranking third nationally (relative to size) and
placing eighth for total funding awarded.
UOW’s Centre for Archaeological Science (CAS)
provided three of the Future Fellows.
CAS shell expert Dr
Katherine Szabó pictured
holding a Papuan chief‘s
dress piece made from
clam shell and turtle.
$5.39M FOR U
FUTURE
FELLOWSHIPS
niversity of Wollongong researchers
have received more than $5.39 million
for programs ranging from assessing
Indigenous justice programs, developing
frameworks to prevent violence against women
and creating new sediment dating techniques,
in the latest round of the Australian Research
Council’s (ARC) Future Fellowships program.
8 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
CAS shell expert Dr Katherine Szabó was
awarded more than $800,000 over four years
to help improve understanding of Melanesian
societies and their transformations over time.
The Melanesian region comprises Vanuatu, the
Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji and Papua
New Guinea and Dr Szabó plans to study its rich
repository of important shell artefacts.
“Shell money is critical in customary exchanges
and still has value as legal tender in the Solomon
Islands, so it’s in Australia’s interest to understand
how such a different approach to economics works
in one of our nearest neighbours,” Dr Szabó said.
CAS colleagues Associate Professor Benjamin
Marwick (currently based at the University of
CONNECT: RESEARCH
SKIN CELLS
REPROGRAMMED
TO COMBAT
BRAIN DISEASE
Dr Lezanne Ooi in her laboratory at the Illawarra
Health and Medical Research Insitute.
disease in a dish. We have a little way to go, but
we are starting to understand the mechanism
behind why those compounds are protective,”
she said.
Dr Ooi said the field is moving incredibly quickly
because scientists around the world have realised
that almost any disease can be modelled using
this method.
She said the technology is also a step closer to
personalised medicines, as the donated cultured
cells provide an avatar for the real patient, where
in the future doctors can test how the patient
might react to a particular drug.
It could also be used to replace cells that are lost
as a disease progresses. For example, in Motor
Neurone Disease, motor neurones degenerate
and die, so patients lose their motor control – the
ability to walk, talk, swallow and eventually,
breathe.
euroscientists from the University
of Wollongong are reprogramming
skin cells in order to discover new
treatments and ultimately a cure for a range of
devastating brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s,
Schizophrenia and Motor Neurone Disease.
N
Dr Lezanne Ooi, from the Illawarra Health and
Medical Research Institute based at UOW, is
at the forefront of an exciting new branch of
neuroscience that converts donated human cells
back to their original pluripotent stem cell state
so that they can be used in disease modelling and
drug discovery.
“In my lab, we are trying to understand the
differences in cells from patients who suffer from
diseases like Alzheimer’s compared to people who
don’t,” Dr Ooi said.
Washington in Seattle) and Dr Bo Li, who joined
UOW in 2012 on a Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral
Fellowship, also were named as Future Fellows.
Dr Szabó and Associate Professor Marwick are
the only archaeologists to be awarded a Future
Fellowship in this round.
CAS Director and ARC Australian Laureate Fellow
Professor Richard (Bert) Roberts said the work of
the new Fellows underscores the importance of
ongoing archaeological projects in Southeast Asia.
“I am tremendously proud of our new Future
Fellows,” Professor Roberts said. “We can expect
exciting findings from each of these mid-career
researchers,” he said.
UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Professor Judy Raper said the Future Fellowships
scheme recognises and supports research in areas
of critical national importance.
“The aim of Future Fellowships is to attract
and retain the best and brightest mid-career
researchers and we are thrilled to have seven of
them at UOW,” Professor Raper said.
“One of the ways that we started to tackle this
problem is by taking donated skin cells from
patients and reprograming those cells to a stem
cell like state. We then use those cells to generate
brain cells (and other cells that represent the
disease) in a dish. From there, we try to use those
cells to identify new treatments or to understand
the reasons why those cells are different and die
in diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
This new method of reprogramming cells was
originally invented in 2006 and won the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012.
Dr Ooi and her team have already started to look
at cells from Alzheimer’s patients and compare
them to patients who don’t have the disease.
“We’ve identified a couple of compounds that
are able to protect those cells from getting the
“I am delighted by these exceptional results and
would like to congratulate all of our successful
Future Fellows. Special recognition should
also be given to the Faculty of Law, Arts and
Humanities (LHA), who enjoy the lion’s share of
home-grown talent, with three of our seven new
Fellows belonging to LHA,” she said.
Sociology lecturer Dr Michael Flood is leading
a project that evaluates key strategies and
interventions to develop a framework that
effectively engages men and boys, preventing
violence against women.
“If we can generate motor neurones in a dish from
a patient’s cells, then we might get to a point
where we can transplant those motor neurones
back into the patient and improve their chances
of living and improve their quality of life as well,”
she said.
UK-born Dr Ooi said she has always been
fascinated with the brain – an area of the body
that is often described as the ‘last frontier’ of
medicine.
“There is still so much that we don’t know about
how the brain works and what happens when it
goes awry,” she said.
“On a personal level, my gran has Alzheimer’s and
as a scientist I need to understand the process
that she is going through on a biological level,
to understand why some people suffer from
this disease and to contribute to knowledge
that may one day aid the development of better
treatments.” EP
•Professor Elena Marchetti – Nothing
works? Re-appraising research on
Indigenous-focused crime and justice
programs
•Associate Professor Shujun Zhang – New
dielectric materials: Improving storage
density of high temperature multilayer
ceramic capacitors to sustainably meet
future energy demands
UOW’s 2015 Future Fellows and their projects
are:
•Associate Professor Benjamin Marwick –
The archaeology of Thailand and Myanmar:
a strategic region for understanding modern
human colonisation and interactions across
our region
•Dr Tanja Dreher – Listening for Media Justice:
mapping the response to Indigenous and
community media in Australia’s mainstream
public sphere
•Dr Katherine Szabó – Dimensions of value:
understanding the role and measuring of
shell valuables in the Melanesian past and
present
•Dr Michael Flood – Engaging men and boys
in violence prevention: effective directions for
practice
•Dr Bo Li – Next-generation luminescence
dating techniques for earth and
archaeological science applications. EP/MC
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 9
CONNECT: RESEARCH
FISHING FOR
ANSWERS
STUDY
LOOKS AT
MARINE
ZONES
T
here could be worse ways to collect
scientific research data.
Marine Science PhD students
Lachlan Fetterplace and Matt Rees from
the Institute for Conservation Biology and
Environmental Management at UOW’s School
of Biological Sciences are motoring across
Jervis Bay on a clear spring morning.
The only ripples in the water are from the
school’s new 5.5 metre research vessel
‘Maarra’.
Matt and Lachlan are using the idyllic
waters of the Jervis Bay Marine Park to
carry out research that will further unlock
our understanding of the biodiversity and
functioning of the rich fish communities
that are not only a corner stone of a healthy
ecosystem but also provide valuable food
stocks and recreational enjoyment for
Australians.
Both Lachlan and Matt are keen fishermen
and marine conservationists who have turned
a hobby and passion into a serious profession,
while their social media presence as the Fish
Thinkers has garnered a large following.
Today the pair, who are under the cosupervision of UOW’s Associate Professor
Andy Davis and Dr Nathan Knott from the NSW
Department of Primary Industries (DPI), are
using state-of-the-art research equipment.
10 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
Matt carefully lowers DPI’s high-definition stereo
video cameras mounted on a galvanised steel
frame into water to survey fish that are associated
with seafloor habitats.
A bait of pilchards in a bag attached to the frame
draws a range of species such as snapper, bream
and other reef fish in view of the camera.
Over the long term it’ll
help us work out the areas in
the bay and marine park that
they use and for how long.
If we are lucky we may even
pick up details on where
they may be spawning, and
if they’re aggregating or
migrating.
“I’m interested in the relationship between fish
and their habitat, so am looking at how the shape,
size and arrangements of habitat influence fish
distributions and population numbers,” Matt says.
“Back in the lab we look through the footage
and count the species and density of fish
we observe. That information will feed into
fisheries conservation and marine protected
areas by allowing us to predict which habitats
and arrangement of habitats are important to
protect fish populations.”
The researchers also use cameras to
survey pelagic fish that swim in the open
water away from the seafloor such as black
marlin, yellowtail kingfish and bonito, using
sophisticated phonetic lures to attract the fish.
While Matt’s current work concerns pelagic
species, a large part of Lachlan’s research
involves tagging and tracking movements of
species that spend their time in water with a
predominantly sandy bottom.
“Sand is a habitat that maybe isn’t as sexy as
coral reefs and seagrass so it isn’t studied as
often but it’s actually highly productive and the
dominate habitat on this part of the coast in this
part of NSW,” Lachlan says.
“A lot of the species found in this habitat are
targeted by recreational fishers. It’s where
species such as flathead and whiting are
commonly caught.”
During the course of his project Lachlan
will catch up to 50 blue spot flathead, to
be followed by other species. Each fish is
sedated in an anaesthetic bath and an acoustic
CONNECT: RESEARCH
Opposite page: UOW researchers Lachlan
Fetterplace (left) and Matt Rees from the School
of Biological Sciences cross Jervis Bay aboard
the school’s new research vessel Maarra.
transmitter inserted in an incision in its belly
cavity.
“I’ve trained with DPI specialists on this technique
and surgery, plus my dad is a vet,” Lachlan says,
as he delicately stitches up one of the sedated
fish in the boat. The small incision will grow over
within two to three days.
The fish is revived and monitored to ensure it is at
full health before it is returned to the water at the
exact location it was caught.
Once inserted the acoustic tag will start emitting a
signal or ‘ping’ that is picked up by a sophisticated
cluster of DPI receivers throughout Jervis Bay,
capable of pinpointing the location of the fish to
within a few metres. A dispersed array of DPI
receivers across Jervis Bay will detect more wideranging movements of the fish.
Professor Bert Roberts and archaeologist Thomas Sutikna study a model of the “Hobbit” skull.
In their previous study they tracked tagged fish for
up to two months. In this study they are hoping to
track their movements for up to two years.
MORWOOD’S ‘HOBBIT’
LEGACY LIVES ON
If a tagged fish leaves Jervis Bay, an acoustic
gate across the mouth of the bay will detect its
exit. The researchers will be able to track its
subsequent movements through the Australian
Animal Tagging and Monitoring System (AATAMS),
a national network of more than 2000 receivers
along the Australian coast.
he University of Wollongong has
marked the 10th anniversary of the
announcement of the discovery
of a new human species (Homo floresiensis)
with a Fellowship honouring one of its key
discoverers, the late Professor Mike Morwood.
Indonesian colleagues, including Mr Sutikna.
Professor Roberts is thrilled that Mr Sutikna,
currently finishing his doctoral studies at UOW,
will stay on at CAS to carry out postdoctoral
research on Flores and other Indonesian
islands.
On 28 October 2004, the leading international
science journal Nature, published two
controversial papers announcing the discovery
of Homo floresiensis in Liang Bua cave in
Flores, Indonesia. The fossil find was dubbed
the ‘Hobbit’ due to its tiny stature, and the
unexpected news that another species of
human had walked among us until relatively
recently stunned the world.
During his fellowship, Mr Sutikna will work
closely with colleagues in CAS and NCA in
Jakarta, especially Wahyu Saptomo, Jatmiko
and Rokus Due Awe, who are also Visiting
Fellows in CAS.
“Over the long term it’ll help us work out the areas
in the bay and marine park that they use and for
how long. If we are lucky we may even pick up
details on where they may be spawning, and if
they’re aggregating or migrating,” Lachlan says.
Understanding the movement of fish could also
be used to more accurately interpret the fish
population data.
“Using underwater video I compare areas that
have been commercially fished to those that are
recreationally fished and those areas that are
no-take zones in Marine Protected Areas, and look
at the differences in these populations,” he says.
“If the fish are moving around a great deal the
population numbers between the zones might not
differ too much. If the fish aren’t moving around
then we might expect to see more fish in areas
that aren’t being fished.
“I’ve got to process hundreds of hours of footage
of the fish and the seafloor before I can answer
this question. Either way it’s intriguing work that
has not been attempted before.”
The work the pair is undertaking will lead to one
certain outcome: better data. And that means
better fisheries management and conservation,
which contributes to species survival and
sustainable enjoyment of a wonderful asset.
“I’m a fisherman too and I love fishing. I want to be
able to catch fish into the future and I like learning
about fish, fisheries and the outdoors. I think this is
valuable research”. GR
T
The UOW researchers who, with colleagues
in Indonesia, discovered this one metre-tall
archaic human have used the 10-year
anniversary to announce the Michael J.
Morwood Fellowship, named in honour of the
archaeologist who co-led the Hobbit project
team until his death in 2013.
The inaugural recipient is Thomas Sutikna,
a close colleague and friend of Professor
Morwood. Mr Sutikna was one of the key
Indonesian archaeologists involved in the
original Hobbit discovery. He will further
strengthen the partnership between UOW and
the National Centre for Archaeology (NCA) in
Indonesia, paving the way for further research
into the ancestry of the Hobbit.
Revealing the history of archaic and modern
humans in Indonesia has been central to the
Centre for Archaeological Science (CAS),
one of UOW’s research strengths, since
excavations at Liang Bua began in 2001.
CAS Director Professor Richard ‘Bert’ Roberts
said Professor Morwood was instrumental
in building and nurturing relationships with
“Thomas’ research will further strengthen
our collaborative links with archaeologists in
Indonesia, and I’m hoping that he might even
discover another new species of human!”
Professor Roberts said.
Mr Sutikna plans to begin the Michael J.
Morwood Fellowship in 2015, continuing
research at Liang Bua and exploring limestone
caves elsewhere in the Indonesian archipelago.
“The discovery of Homo floresiensis has major
implications for the understanding of human
evolution and dispersal across the globe,” Mr
Sutikna said. “This discovery is only a piece of
the larger puzzle of past human activities in
Liang Bua, which needs to be explored with
subsequent excavations.
“Besides Liang Bua, the next step of research
will be to focus on other potential sites
throughout Flores and other islands in
Indonesia that were identified while digging at
the Liang Bua cave. We are looking for more
ancestors and contemporaries of the Hobbit.”
“The Michael J. Morwood Fellowship will allow
me to extend the excavations at Liang Bua
cave to reveal more about the last days of the
Hobbit, and to explore other parts of Indonesia
to make more exciting discoveries”, Mr Sutikna
said. EP/MC
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 11
CONNECT: RECOGNITION
SOCIAL
MEDIA
MONITORS
PITCH
PERFECT
iAccelerate Pitch winner Tim Hill
(bottom centre) from Social Status
with the other finalists (clockwise
from bottom left) Alan Beadnell
(Joindup), Nathan Harper (BeerMogul
Games), Nic Conroy (Joindup), Adam
Poole (Safety Compass), Debra Young
(Younga Yoga), Robert O’Farrell
(Social Status), Bruno Angelico (Steele
Environmental Solutions) and Adam
Smith (Timeline Information Systems).
Not pictured were the Early Years
Sketch Book team Holly Tootell, Grant
Elmers and Mark Freeman.
young entrepreneur whose
start-up company is at
the forefront of social
media analytics has won this year’s
iAccelerate* Pitch.
A
Social Status CEO Tim Hill won
the Pitch final and the $2000 first
prize at the iAccelerate Pitch and
Demo Day at the University of
Wollongong’s Innovation Campus
on 29 October, for his polished
presentation about the technology
he and his business partner Robert
O’Farrell have developed to monitor
the effectiveness of social media
marketing.
Their app aggregates publicly
available data from Facebook and
other sources so that subscribers
can easily compare how posts in
social media are performing.
“We can measure a company’s
engagement on social media – what
content works and why. This kind of
analytical tool is very useful as more
and more advertising is moving to
social media,” Mr Hill said.
as an advisor on the technology they
are developing.
Mr Hill and Mr O’Farrell currently run
Social Status as a two-man operation,
based at iAccelerate. They are hoping
their performance at the Pitch will
help attract investors so that they
can grow their company and further
develop their technology.
“We need capital to help us move
faster. In this space of social media
there’s so much competition and
constant change. If we could even
double our workforce (from two to
four) … it would help us gain traction,”
he said.
The finalists have developed ideas
ranging from Social Status’ social
media monitoring technology to
new generation materials and a F1
motorsport game for mobile phones.
Debra Young, who developed an
online yoga program for expectant
mothers called Stretch and Glow
Yoga, finished second in the
Pitch final and won the People’s
Choice prize of $1000 voted by
the audience. Nathan Harper from
BeerMogul Games, whose F1
strategy game Formula Legend
has already achieved 150,000
downloads, received an honourable
mention.
Mr Hill said the app “legitimises
Facebook as an advertising medium”,
and the social media giant was acting
The Pitch final was a competition
between eight start-up companies,
most of which are located at UOW’s
iAccelerate business incubator,
who pitched their business plans to
a panel of industry judges and an
audience including potential venture
capital investors.
iACCELERATE
RECEIVES
CONFERENCE
ACCLAIM
and professionals who are at the
forefront of driving the transition
from a traditional university to one
that is more engaged with its local
community and becoming more
innovative and entrepreneurial.
of its transformation from a
manufacturing and mining base,
iAccelerate will diversify the region’s
industrial base, capturing the
intellectual capital of the region and
retaining high quality graduates.
he University of
Wollongong’s iAccelerate
program, designed to help
spark and support innovation and
entrepreneurs in the Illawarra
region, has been recognised at an
international conference for its
approach to driving regional change.
iAccelerate Director Elizabeth
Eastland, who is also UOW’s
Director of Innovation and
Commercial Research, presented
iAccelerate as a case study of how
a regional innovation accelerator
was transforming a declining
manufacturing economy.
Ms Eastland said during the past
four years iAccelerate has built an
entrepreneurship club with more
than 800 participants, provides a
series of workshops and lectures
designed to address the critical
business issues facing startups; and
is currently providing entrepreneurial
working spaces capable of hosting
70 people building startups.
T
iAccelerate received the award for
best case study at the University
Industry Innovation Network
Conference for Entrepreneurial
Universities held in Madrid, Spain in
September.
The 2014 Entrepreneurial
Universities Event brought
together close to 150 academics
12 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
Ms Eastland’s presentation focused
on how iAccelerate started in
2011, and how it was using a set of
mentoring and education programs
to nurture regional entrepreneurship
and innovation based on the skills of
UOW’s large pipeline of information
technology graduates.
With the Illawarra in the midst
The Pitch drew potential investors
Artesian Capital Management, Tank
Stream Ventures, M H Carnegie,
ObeVentures, Commonwealth Bank,
KPMG and “angel” investors.
iAccelerate Director Elizabeth
Eastland said she was delighted
“The judges made comments about
how fast we had moved in so short
a time and that our vision and action
to fulfilling that were bold,” Ms
Eastland said.
“Many of the attendees from
regional areas in Europe wanted to
with the quality of the Pitch
presentations and the number
of investment companies that
atttended. “It’s remarkable to see
how far we have come in the last
year,” Ms Eastland said. “We have
many talented people working on
some great ideas. We were really
excited about giving them this
opportunity to showcase their work
and demonstrate their potential
to really contribute to this region’s
economic transformation.”
Ms Eastland praised the NSW
Government for committing $16.5
million towards a permanent
home for iAccelerate, which will
be constructed on the Innovation
Campus. NH
*iAccelerate is the University of
Wollongong’s business incubator
and accelerator. Based at the
Innovation Campus, it provides
start-up companies with premises
and professional services support,
a robust educational program,
formalised business acceleration
monitoring and mentoring in finance
and accounting, marketing and
media, intellectual property and
legal issues and human resources.
connect and ask questions about
how we had done what we had
done so they could also do it.
“It was thrilling for a UOW initiative
to be considered a best practice
entrepreneurial university at an
international event.”
iAccelerate has also launched a
$10 million seed fund to attract
investors with a passion and
commitment to the startup sector.
In turn, the fund will provide
investors with access to a unique
pipeline of early stage business
investment opportunities.
Entrepreneurs will also benefit
from the region’s first purpose-built
high-tech incubator with the start
of construction of the 4000 square
metre iAccelerate Centre at UOW’s
Innovation Campus. The centre will
provide space for more than 280
entrepreneurs. GR
POSTCARD FROM DUBAI
The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD)
has been operating since 1993 and is now one
of the most prestigious educational institutions
in the United Arab Emirates. UOWD currently
has an enrolment of more than 4000 students
undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate
degrees in Business, Finance, Computer
Science, Engineering, International Studies and
Media & Communications at its campus
in Dubai’s Knowledge Village.
UOWD’S RECORD
STUDENT INTAKE
T
he University of Wollongong in Dubai has
recorded the highest intake in its 21-year
history with more than 1000 new students
enrolled for the autumn semester which began in
September.
The new enrolments are 20 per cent higher than those
recorded in the 2013 autumn semester.
Apart from the swelling numbers, UOWD has also
reported that 30 per cent of its student population is
made up of overseas students – those who specifically
come to Dubai for higher education, as opposed to
students who are residents of the UAE.
“We believe the record autumn intake is the result
of a number of measures introduced by UOWD to
raise the bar on our academic offering,” said UOWD
Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment Peter
Hawke. “The intake has nearly doubled in 10 years.
This achievement comes in the face of a tough and
competitive environment and is a tribute to the high
reputation the University enjoys among the student
community.”
The new intake comprises both undergraduate and
postgraduate students. Among the programs that
attracted the highest interest were Masters degrees
in Quality Management, Engineering Management and
Banking & Finance.
“UOWD places great emphasis on attracting quality
students through various measures, such as offering
attractive scholarships to high-scoring students,” Mr
Hawke said. “We strive to raise the bar on the quality of
teaching as well as services provided to students, such
as a world-class library and the recently launched
research excellence centre.”
UOWD’s record enrolment is in sync with Dubai’s
rising reputation as a regional education hub, boasting
universities from around the globe. According to
figures released by the Knowledge and Human
Development Authority (KHDA), there were 48,058
students enrolled in Dubai’s private and public
universities in 2012.
“The fact that over 30 per cent of the student
population is made up of international students – those
who travel to Dubai specifically to pursue a particular
undergraduate or postgraduate degree – is an
endorsement of UOWD’s global standing as a provider
of quality tertiary education,” Mr Hawke said.
UOWD’s student body includes more than 100
nationalities, making it one of the most multicultural
tertiary education institutions in Dubai. It attracts
significant numbers from overseas including the
Middle East, China, North Africa, Indian Sub-continent
and countries of the Commonwealth of Independant
States (CIS).
Adam Gilchrist (right) presents the UOWD Sports Scholarship named after him to talented
cricketer Dan D’Souza, as Minister for the Illawarra John Ajaka (left) looks on.
SCHOLARSHIP KEEPS
SPORTS TALENT IN UAE
nited Arab Emirates Under 19
Cricket World Cup representative
Dan D’Souza has won this year’s
Adam Gilchrist Sports Scholarship to study
at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.
U
UOW Brand Ambassador and former
international cricket star Adam Gilchrist
AM presented Dan with his award at a
special ceremony at UOWD in October that
was also attended by NSW Minister for
the Illawarra John Ajaka, who was visiting
UOWD at the time.
The award provides Dan with a 50 percent
waiver on tuition fees while he studies for
his finance degree at UOWD. Importantly
for UAE cricket, it also means that he will
stay in the country.
Emirates Cricket Board chief executive
David East recommended Dan for the
scholarship as part of a strategy to keep
talented young players in the UAE and
overcome a long-standing drain of talented
players in the 18-21 age group who go
overseas to study or further their
sporting careers.
Dan, who attended British School Al
Khubairat in Abu Dhabi and deferred his
university study so he could represent
UAE in the Under 19 World Cup, said he
was pleased that he could now stay in
the UAE for his education and to play
cricket.
“I think this is a good initiative by the
university and the cricket board,” he said.
“It not only benefits us, it benefits the
country in terms of keeping the home
grown talent here. That means you can
push through some youngsters in terms
of the national team.”
Gilchrist said he was delighted that a
talented young cricketer had won the
scholarship, and hoped it would benefit
cricket in the UAE.
“Dan is eager to progress up the rungs
of UAE cricket, so he is fortunate to be
able to combine study and sport at such
a fine university. These opportunities and
programs allow students to stay home,
continue their education yet still work at
a passion outside of that, (so) I think it will
be productive for the region,” he said. NH
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 13
CONNECT: NEWS
FLOODS
MAPPED ON
TWITTER
A flooded
thoroughfare
in downtown
Jakarta (Image:
AFP)
SOCIAL MEDIA’S
SMART
SOLUTION FOR
JAKARTA
he University of Wollongong has
launched a big data project that uses
Twitter tweets to map flooding in
Southeast Asia’s most populous city, Jakarta.
T
Researchers at UOW‘s SMART Infrastructure
Facility led by Dr Etienne Turpin and Dr Tomas
Holderness have developed a geosocial
intelligence framework to turn geotagged tweets
into valuable data that can be analysed and used
to map seasonal flooding across Jakarta, with
unprecedented detail.
“Jakarta has the fastest rate of urbanisation of
any city in the world and a population of about 28
million,” Dr Holderness said.
“River and coastal inundation, sea level rise and
recent trends in weather intensification make
Jakarta a key site for testing the effectiveness
of crowdsourcing data to research 21st century
challenges against urban resilience and
adaptation.
“Our research is further supported by the fact
Indonesia has the greatest number of Twitter
users of any country in the world,” he added.
The PetaJakarta (MapJakarta) pilot study, which
commenced in May 2014, is being conducted
in conjunction with the Jakarta Emergency
Management Agency (known as BPBD).
Incessant rain from November through January
traditionally causes major floods across the CBD
and outer city regions. In January 2013, 250,000
people were affected by flood waters. In January
2014, 30,000 were displaced from their homes.
With the next monsoon season approaching,
representatives of BPBD travelled to Wollongong
for the project’s official launch and their first
week of collaborative training and development to
help ensure the success of the project.
“By partnering with BPBD for the one-year
pilot study we’ve allowed the agency to work
directly with SMART engineers and geographic
information system experts to develop tools
specifically designed to meet the needs of their
day-to-day operations,” Dr Turpin said.
“The overall aim of the project is to advance
our capacity to understand and promote the
resilience of cities to both extreme weather events
as a result of climate change and to long-term
infrastructure transformation as a process of
climate adaptation.”
Dr Turpin and Dr Holderness expect their product
to be widely adopted in the future.
‘’As an open source publicly accessible platform,
the software that runs PetaJakarta can be
amended to address other urgent issues such as
waste or sewage removal, transport and traffic
congestion, weather emergencies, even elections
and governance and then re-deployed in other
metropolitan areas with high concentrations of
social media users,” Dr Turpin said.
PetaJakarta is a key UOW Global Challenges
project helping to address the challenge of
Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones and is further
supported by the Australian National Data Service.
The project has also benefited from a Twitter Data
Grant, which was awarded to the lead researchers
in April 2014.
Twitter Developer Advocate Jim Moffitt is an
enthusiastic supporter.
“Myself and all my colleagues at Twitter are
excited about the PetaJakarta project,” he said.
“When I first heard about the project I was excited
because this case of using the Twitter network as
a two-way public safety broadcast network truly
represents, in my mind, the highest potential for a
social network.
“This project also represents a great example
of business, universities and public agencies all
working together.”
Mr Moffitt said he had included PetaJakarta in a
presentation at an early warning conference in the
US as an example of what can be done with the
Twitter network during natural disasters.
SMART researchers Dr Tomas Holderness (left rear) and Dr Etienne Turpin
with members of the Jakarta Disaster Management Agency at the launch of
PetaJakarta at the SMART Infrastructure Facility at UOW.
14 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
“We are proud to be involved and offer our help
for the upcoming monsoon season in the Jakarta
region. We’re anticipating that a lot will be learned
and that this project can serve as an example to
other regions in the world,” he said. JW
CONNECT: NEWS
O U T S TA N D I N G A L U M N I R E C O G N I S E D
ENGINEER, PSYCHOLOGIST,
DOCTOR SHARE AWARDS
n engineer who is making
a major contribution to
her homeland of Bhutan,
a psychologist who heads a crisis
counselling service and a young
doctor working in regional NSW have
won the 2014 UOW Alumni Awards.
A
Eminent Member of the National
Council of Bhutan, The Honourable
Tashi Wangmo, won the Outstanding
Alumni Award, Lifeline South Coast
Executive Director Grahame Gould
won the Community Service Alumni
Award and Junior Medical Officer at
Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital
Dr Teena Downton won the Young
Alumni Award.
Top. From left: Chancellor Jillian
Broadbent and University Fellows
Lynn Woodley, Associate Professor
Linchong Chorrojprasert and
Associate Professor Yvonne Kerr, with
Vice-Chancellor Professor Wellings.
Below. From left: Vice-Chancellor Paul
Wellings, Silvio Rivier (Award Orator
and alumnus), Dr Teena Downton,
Grahame Gould, The Honourable
Tashi Wangmo and Chancellor Jillian
Broadbent.
Right. Halina Majer
The recipients were recognised at
a formal dinner for the awards and
conferral of University Fellowships
hosted by Chancellor Jillian
Broadbent AO at the Innovation
Campus in October. Guests included
Minister for the Illawarra John
Ajaka, Vice-Chancellor Professor
Paul Wellings CBE and Wollongong
Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon
Bradbery OAM.
The Outstanding Alumni Award was
bestowed on Tashi Wangmo who
studied mechanical engineering at
UOW as an international student
more than 20 years ago. Since
graduating, Ms Wangmo has made
immeasurable contributions to
Bhutan’s progress and development.
In 2008, at the age of 35, her service
was recognised when the King
of Bhutan chose Ms Wangmo as
a representative on the National
Council.
“We are honoured to be part of the
extraordinary journey Ms Wangmo
has taken from a remote village
to her appointment as an Eminent
Member of the National Council of
Bhutan,” Ms Broadbent said.
Mr Gould, who completed a Master
of Clinical Psychology at UOW
in 2000, has spent more than 20
years assisting people who are
experiencing a personal crisis
through Lifeline, which operates
24 hour crisis support and suicide
prevention services.
“Grahame Gould has been Lifeline’s
face and ambassador in this region,
going beyond the mere coordination
of services to engage with a wide
spectrum of the local community,”
Ms Broadbent said. “Under his
leadership, Lifeline South Coast
is one of the most respected of
Lifeline’s services. As a direct
impact, it has saved lives.”
Dr Downton, who graduated from
UOW in 2012 with a Bachelor of
Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery,
received the Young Alumni Award.
While a student, Dr Downton took it
upon herself to become an advocate
for rural health and rural health
practitioners. She has continued
her advocacy role since relocating
to Tamworth as President of the
Tamworth Resident Medical Officer
Association and Deputy Chair of the
Junior Medical Officer Quality and
Safety Committee.
Monique Harper-Richardson said:
“The University of Wollongong
Alumni Awards were established in
2013 to recognise the extraordinary
achievements of our alumni
worldwide. They are our greatest
ambassadors.
“The finalists and recipients, though
diverse in their chosen field of study,
employment, industry and location
in the world, share a passion and
skill for inspiring others and making
a contribution to the world around
them.”
At the dinner four distinguished
women who have made major
contributions to UOW were presented
with University Fellowships regarded as the highest recognition
for outstanding service to the UOW.
“Teena Downton is an outstanding
model of engaged community
leadership. She has inspired country
kids at rural high school visits and
Indigenous festivals, sharing her own
story and promoting health career
opportunities,” Ms Broadbent said.
Associate Professor Linchong
Chorrojprasert from Assumption
University in Bangkok was recognised
as a committed member of the
Alumni community and for helping to
strengthen ties between UOW
and Assumption.
UOW Director of Advancement
Former Dean of Students, Associate
Professor Yvonne Kerr, was
recognised for dedicating two
decades of her career to developing
policies and procedures to guide
teaching practices and shape the
student experience at UOW.
Lynn Woodley was recognised for
her service to the University over
40 years and contribution to sound
governance, academic quality and
strategic renewal. Lynn joined the
Wollongong University College in
1973 to help prepare for its transition
to an autonomous University in 1975,
and went on to serve in a number of
key administrative roles over the next
four decades.
Halina Majer was recognised for her
unique contribution to the University
as Executive Assistant to all four
Vice-Chancellors over 30 years.
A portrait of former UOW Chancellor
Michael Codd AC by renowned artist
Mathew Lynn was also unveiled on
the night. JW
NOVEMBER 2014 CONNECT: UOW 15
CONNECT: NEWS
BRADMAN SCHOLAR
MEETS MUMBAI MAESTRO
t was one of those cricketing
moments that would have
put a satisfied smile on the
face of the late Sir Donald Bradman.
I
At Bowral’s Bradman Oval in
October the Mumbai maestro Sachin
Tendulkar warmly greeted the
University of Wollongong student
from Hyderabad selected as UOW’s
inaugural Bradman Scholarship
holder.
Here was the Indian batting
superstar, identified by Sir Donald
early in his career as the batsman
whose technique most closely
resembled his own, standing
UOW’s Bradman Scholarshipholder Mohammed Shuja Ahmed
Khan pictured with Indian
cricketing superstar Sachin
Tendulkar at Bradman Oval.
alongside first year Civil
Engineering student Mohammed
Shuja Ahmed Khan.
The 19-year-old UOW student said
he could not believe he was standing
next to his Indian cricket idol. “It’s a
fantastic day for me to meet the ‘God
of Cricket’ – if only I could do straight
drives like Sachin I’d indeed be a
very happy person,” mused Shuja,
whose own cricketing speciality is
as a medium-pace bowler with the
University Blues.
Shuja was awarded the inaugural
Bradman Scholarship after an Indiawide search in 2013, and began his
four-year Bachelor of Civil Engineering
course early in 2014. He said he
had always dreamed of attending a
world-class university overseas and
is adamant he has found that in the
University of Wollongong.
UOW inaugurated the Bradman
Scholarship in 2012 to honour Sir
Donald who is widely regarded as
the greatest-ever cricketer. The
scholarship is awarded each year to
an Indian student – male or female –
who has completed secondary school
and demonstrates a combination
of academic, sporting, personal
and social skills, as well as strong
participation in cricket.
SPORT V DEPRESSION
UOW established the scholarship with
the Bradman Foundation, a charitable
trust established in 1987 with the
blessing of Sir Donald Bradman
to promote cricket as a cultural,
educational and sporting force. BG
Dr Stewart Vella is leading a study on ways of using sport to address mental health issues among Australian males.
T
he University of
Wollongong has teamed
up with men’s health
fundraisers the Movember
Foundation and Australia’s major
sports on a multi-million dollar
project which aims to address
mental health issues among
adolescent male athletes.
The Movember Foundation
awarded UOW almost $2 million
over the next three years to
conduct the most comprehensive
study of its kind into the role of
sport in helping adolescent males
identify and overcome mental
health issues.
The project will see UOW partner
with Australia’s top sporting
organisations through the
Australian Sports Commission,
16 CONNECT: UOW NOVEMBER 2014
including the AFL, Cricket Australia,
Tennis Australia, Swimming
Australia, Basketball Australia and
Football Federation Australia, as
well as mental health providers
The Black Dog Institute and the
Australian Drug Foundation’s Good
Sports Program.
More than 5000 young men, from
across the sporting codes, are
expected to take part in the UOWled research.
Sports Psychologist Dr Stewart
Vella, from UOW’s Early Start
Research Institute, will lead the
project, which will use a grassroots
approach to provide clubs with the
tools they need to support their
young members who are grappling
with depression and suicidal
thoughts.
“Our aim is to reduce the
suicide rate among adolescent
males, provide strong social
and community networks, and
reduce the stigma associated
with mental health problems,”
Dr Vella said.
Dr Vella said Australia’s strong
sporting culture provided
an avenue to reach a large
proportion of adolescent
males, who experience
disproportionately higher rates
of suicide and mental health
concerns.
“We are excited to be working
with Movember, which is such a
powerful force for change and so
innovative in raising the profile of
men’s health issues.” EP
CONNECT: UOW
is produced by the Strategic
Marketing and Communications Unit.
Editorial
Layout Artist Nick Hartgerink
Bernie Goldie
Elise Pitt
Jacqui Wales
Grant Reynolds
Melissa Coade
Paul Martens
Photographers Paul Jones
Sean Maguire
Mark Newsham
Telephone +61 2 4221 5942
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Email [email protected]
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Address University of
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ISSN 0312-2018